Support harness



Nov. 6, 1962 A. D. BENTLEY SUPPORT HARNESS Filed April 15, 1960 Unite States This invention relate to a body supporting harness and more particularly to a body supporting harness adapted to provide back support in lieu of a chair back for use on backless seats or benches.

Many sports arenas and similar institutions utilize rows of benches without any back rest. It can be quite fatiguing for a sports spectator, particularly if such spectator is aged or infirm to sit on a seat of the conventional backless bench type. Various methods of providing a portable back rest have been put on the market, comprising mainly a seat with a foldable back, the seat normally being adapted to be placed under the spectator on top of the bench, the seat having a connection to the foldable back rest whereby the spectator may lean backwards onto the back rest, support being provided by the spectators own weight resting on the seat portion of the bach rest.

Such back rests constitute a danger in that the spectator upon tipping backwards too far or shifting his weight too much onto the back rest may tip entirely backwards since the seat has no firm connection to the seat of the bench.

Such portable back rests are normally space consuming and not adapted to be carried in a pocket, thereby creating the disadvantage that the spectator must provide room for carrying such a back rest which may be uncomfortable in a crowd etc.

It is the object of this invention to provide a portable body support harness adapted to give full body support when utilized in conjunction with a backless seat or bench.

It is futhermore an object of this invention to provide a body support hadness that is fool proof in regard to tipping backwards, such body support harness not relying on the Weight of the user for its supporting properties.

It is furthermore an object of this invention to provide a body support harness adapted to be folded together to a small enough dimension permitting such harness to be carried in a conventional pocket.

It is furthemore an object of this invention to provide a body support harness adapted to provide a flexible back support adapted to increase the comfortable resting position of the user.

These and other objects and features of this invention will become apparent when taken in conjunction with the following drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a harness embodying this invention, illustrated located on a phantom person seated on a phantom bench.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a hook portion of a harness embodying this invention, having located thereon adjustable attachment means for attachment on a bench.

Referring first to FIG. 1 a harness embodying this invention is shown at 1 comprising two shoulder support straps 2 and 3, draped over the shoulders of phantom person 4, the two nether extremities of each of shoulder straps 2 and 3 being attached to a main support belt 5 at 6, 7, 8 and 9 respectively, belt 5 extending at attachment points 7 and 9 into belt extensions 10 and 11 respectively, adapted through conventional adjustment means such as buckles 12 and 13 or the like, to be adjustably attached to hook straps 14 and 15 respecatent I 3,062,585 Patented Nov. 6, 1962 tively, which in turn are attached to support hooks 16 and 17 respectively, hooks 16 and 17 being adapted to be located around the front edge of a conventional bench to provide anchorage means for support harness 1.

One or more cross straps 18 may be located across the rear of phantom person 4 between shoulder straps 2 and 3, cross straps 18 being adapted to prevent shoulder straps 2 and 3 from slipping inadvertently down over the shoulders of the user.

Method of utilizing support harness 1 to provide back support for the user 4 sitting on phantom bench 19 is as follows:

Support harness 1 is located in place over shoulders of the user, with books 16 and 17 located toward the front of the user, whereupon hooks 16 and 17 are located over front edge 20 of bench 19 and buckles 12 and 13 are adjusted to provide slight tension in belt extensions 10 and 11 upon person 4 sittingupright on bench 19.

Upon person 4 leaning backwards on bench 19, the weight of upper body of person 4, leaning backwords will create further tension in belt extensions 10 and 11, such tension being transferred substantially through main support belt 5, hook straps 14 and 15 and hooks 16 and 17 to edge 20 of bench 19 and taken up by edge 20.

Belt extensions 10 and 11 or other portions of the support harness 1, particularly shoulder supports 2 and 3, may be made of resilient or partly elastic material adapted to permit a certain amount of give therein, thereby giving a spring action to the support harness adding to the comfort of the wearer thereof.

For use in cases where front edge 20 is not suitable to receive books 16 and 17, an extension sling may be located from books 16 and 17, passing beneath the feet of a person 4, thereby creating a cradle configuration adapted to permit the weight of the feet to take up a portion of the weight of the back, this being able to in part provide support for the back of person 4.

Referring to FIG. 2 an enlargement of a hook 16 of support harness 1 is shown having attached thereto, on the vertical stem 21, a spring stop 22 comprising a strip, folded double at 23, having at its two free ends 24 and 25 aligned holes 26 and 27 located therein, holes 26 and 27 being only very slightly larger than diameter of vertical stem 21, spring tension in fold 23 being adapted to spring ends 24 and 25 away from each other, thereby bringing the planes of ends 24 and 25 out of parallel relation to each other and creating jamming action of holes 26 and 27 on vertical stem 21, thereby locking spring clip 22 in position on stem 21.

Upon a bench edge being encountered that is larger or smaller than the gap between prong 28 of hook 16 and lower side 29 of clip 22, pressure may be exerted on outer sides of ends 24 and 25, bringing these together toward each other, whereby holes 26 and 27 will be brought into substantially parallel planes, permitting clip 22 to be slideably located up or down on stem 21, to suit thicknes of edge 20 of a bench, thereby preventing hook 16 from falling or sliding off edge 20 upon tension in belt extensions 10 and 11 being inadvertently released.

It will be understood that variations in the design of this support harness may be made While still remaining within the spirit and principle of this invention without prejudicing the novelty thereof.

The support harness embodied in this invention is particularly adapted to be worn under a jacket or similar garment by the user who may put this on before leaving home, the extension straps and hooks being put one in each pocket for instance trouser pocket or jacket pocket until the user arrives at the bench and sits down thereon whereupon he or she only requires to take the hooks out of the pockets and attach them to the front edge of the backless bench in order to be supplied with back support. Upon leaving the baekless bench the user does not require to take the entire harness off but may put the hook ends in his or her pockets.

The embodiments of the invention in Which exclusive privilege and property is claimed are defined as follows:

A support harness for a person seated on a backless bench including a pair of shoulder support straps drapable over the shoulders of said person; each of said straps having an end at the front of said person and an end at the rear of said person, said ends being positioned substantially at waist level, a main support belt extending from the front end of a first of said straps to the rear end of said first strap, thence to the rear end of the second of said straps and thereafter to the front end of said second strap; said belt being securely at tached to said ends at their points of contact; each end of said belt extending forwardly and downwardly to form a pair of belt extensions; each of said beit extensions terminating in a hook having a vertical stem; each said stem being supplied with adjustable spring clip means comprising a folded fiat strip of hairpin configuration having two free ends; said free ends being tensioned away from each other through spring tension within said spring clip and each having a hole formed therethrough; said holes being in substantially axial alignment; said vertical stems being slidable through said two holes upon said free ends being pressed together and being gripped by said spring clip upon said free ends being released.

References ited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 628,306 Farrington July 4, 1899 758,123 Weis Apr. 26, 1904 1,252,252 Doraite Jan. 1, 1918 1,316,163 Kennedy Sept. 16, 1919 1,369,456 Meredith Feb. 22, 1921 2,530,470 Kenly Nov. 21, 1950 2,570,631 Arrasrnith Oct. 9, 1951 2,727,248 Switzer Dec. 20, 1955 2,871,927 Materi Feb. 3, 1959 

